We are surrounded by con jobs. Sometimes the con is less obvious. The obvious hustler on the corner still gets money out of folks. Emails from Nigerian Princes worked on someone. Pen pals tell folks what they want to hear to rob them.of their savings.
This past week, Joe Rogan said MAGA is turning on Trump. They feel lied too. They voted for the guy because JOE ROGAN said he sounds like he’s telling the truth. In 2016 many of us knew he was a con man. Never mind what the so called leftists say, in a single breath he contradicted himself. Of course, 40% of voters are still on board as of March 2026.
This is not a political post. This is a messaging post. This is a post about ETHOS LOGOS AND PATHOS. This post is a warning and hopefully a way forward.
Folks need to be more suspect than ever of traditional reliable sources of news. But this is not new.
60 years ago, advertisers were playing with subliminal messaging in TV ads. The FCC shot that down, but the advertisers got smart. They were not allowed to do the obvious brainwashing hidden images, but they could hide images and sounds in plain sight.
You can’t lie about a product. But you can tell a “story”. You can show a family eating a Big Mac. You can show pretty successful people wearing certain cloths. You make it look cool to smoke and drink. You can add sugar and salt to foods to make them more addictive. You can jack up prices then offers sales.
You can lie in many other places. No shade on religion itself, or anyone’s faith, but folks hide behind THAT’S WHAT I BELIEVE as a cloak for their lies, or lies they regurgitate.
Science and logic sn be used to “justify” oir beliefs, but they cannot truly prove or disprove God, which everyone you worship.
But folks apply the logic of FAITH in their God, to BELIEVING what they claim about people, events etc. These things can be disproven.
My father once sent me an email, one of the many propaganda emails he got from anonymous authors, forwarded by a “friend”. Most of these emails were outright lies from bigots. All were easily debunked in a matter of seconds. But these emails were informing his world view.
Never mind the politics and racism for a moment. Sprinkled in these messages from human garbage were generic warnings. One was a video of a guy on fire. WARNING, Using cell phones can spark the fumes at gas stations.
When I called my mother about these emails, she said, “I have heard that before. Why would anyone lie about this!” Meanwhile Myth Busters debunked th claim 15 years earlier. Numerous articles existed to say THIS was not a thing.
Why would anyone lie? Because YOUR anxiety makes you vulnerable to their garbage. Or they are distractions.
Folks used to cheer for gladiators tearing each other apart. Now we have sports and reality TV. We have political “news “. We have social media clips of folks slipping, falling, fighting, ranking, etc
The destruction of listening and focus is the point. The degradation of education is the point. The hate, fear and anxiety is the point
Politicians, “News” and Big Business spend every waking hour making us anxious, scared and angry on purpose. Then they blame the internet.
Every day millions spend money on things they don’t need. Every day a new kid tries drugs, legal or other wise for adults, because someone said they would be cool, or feel better. Every year folks pull a lever and voted based on anger and fear.
The Solution?
We need to second guess EVERYONE and EVERYTHING. Everytime my own wife says, DID YOU HEAR…. I sometimes have a knee jerk reaction but almost always ask, WHAT’S THE SOURCE.
Journalist, TRUE REPORTERS, triple check their sources. With social media WE ARE ALL JOURNALISTS NOW. We need to triple check our sources.
Those sources should not be three bloggers/content creators of the same wing nut variety.
When Trump or my left wing friends say, EVERYONE IS SAYING IT, it seems that way because the algorithms are serving you up what you want to see and hear. The echo chamber is louder than ever.
BUT DON’T DESPAIR!
Even despairing about this problem is serving their goals. You don’t have to stop trusting everyone wholeheartedly. You just need to start trusting no one blindly.
The best of us are human. The best intentioned in 2026 are guilty of regugitating lies. But most folks due have good intentions. I still love my parents. They are great people. They just moved to swamps surrounded by right wing nuts.
My leftist friends that say the world is more racist now than…. stop, breath, reflect on 1000s of years of slavery, women not allowed to vote, religious persecution, LGBTQIA+
There has been a roll back of rights. There has been a growth in public acceptance of bigotry. We need to fight those trends.
Hyperbole and anger never changes hearts. Protests can stop a politician, maybe, but rarely changes our parents’ minds. For me, 10 years of spewing anger on FACEBOOK hasn’t changed anyone’s mind.
But every time I teach improv, I teach folks to HAVE FUN but NEVER at another’s expense. I teach start every day with a smile. I teach YES AND…. I teach LISTEN WITH YOUR EYES.
I realized recently (I wish sooner) that every time I stay on message, I change 1 soul, or a room of souls. I model not all adults are blaming about other. I model there is a better way. I spread laughter and joy.
This is not a pitch for my shows and classes. This is a pitch for leading by example. This is a pitch to stop the cycle of manipulation.
Catch yourself from feeling a certain way, because your anxiety was the goal of another’s propaganda. Next time you say I HAVE TO HAVE THAT, ask yourself, DO I REALLY NEED THAT. Or do I want that because I’m jealous, scared, angry, etc. Catch yourself labeling folks as enemies. Catch yourself blaming others. Catch yourself making bad choices.
Live by my rule HAVE FUN but NEVER at another’s expense. Lets make this world a better place by fixing ourselves first, and inspiring those we can actually inspire. Surround yourself with folks that inspire you. Distance yourself from the noise and the garbage.
If you want the world to treat you right, if you want the world to smile at you, LEAD BY EXAMPLE!
